Frederick Wright, 34, of Hartford, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies targeting individuals who responded to his vehicle sale advertisements on Facebook Marketplace. U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea also ordered Wright to serve four years of supervised release and pay $14,429 in restitution to his victims.
According to court documents and statements made during the proceedings, Wright orchestrated a scheme between July 2020 and November 2020 by posting vehicles for sale online. He would meet potential buyers, allow them to test drive the vehicle, and negotiate a price. After receiving cash from the purchaser, Wright would display a firearm, threaten violence, and steal money along with other valuables. At least five victims were robbed in Windsor and Bloomfield as part of this scheme.
Wright was arrested on November 24, 2020. Investigators searching his Hartford residence found a loaded 9mm semiautomatic pistol used during the robberies. At the time of these offenses, Wright had prior state felony convictions for attempted robbery in the first degree and failure to appear; he was also on state special parole.
Wright has remained detained since his arrest. On February 1, 2022, he pleaded guilty to three counts of obstruction of interstate commerce by robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Hartford Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Konstantin Lantsman prosecuted it.
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut stated: “U.S. Attorney Sullivan encouraged those who sell and purchase items online, and need to meet an individual in person to complete the sale, to use a visible, monitored location. Contact your local police department to see if it offers a monitored meeting location, or search online for a nearby monitored location.”
